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Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
| released = 2 November 1981 | format = Vinyl record (7") | recorded = Le Studio, Morin Heights, Quebec, Canada & AIR Studios, Montserrat, 1981 | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = 4:22 | label = A&M – AMS 8174 | writer = Sting | producer = | prev_title = Invisible Sun | prev_year = 1981 | next_title = Spirits in the Material World | next_year = 1981 | misc = }} "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" is a song by British rock group The Police from their fourth album, Ghost in the Machine. The song, notable for featuring a pianist (uncommon in Police songs), dates back to a demo recorded in the house of Mike Howlett in the fall of 1976. It was also a hit single that reached the top of the charts in the United Kingdom (topping its predecessor, "Invisible Sun") in November 1981UK Singles Charts for the week of November 14, 1981, The Official Charts. and hit on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart that same year, kept from further chart movement by Foreigner's #2 smash "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and Olivia Newton-John's #1 smash "Physical".Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 497. Background Although the song was recorded in 1981, Sting wrote it as early as 1976.Lyrics by Sting, The Dial Press, 2007, page 56. An early (1976) demo of the song can be heard on the Strontium 90 album Strontium 90: Police Academy. A good ear will detect that the vocals are set back from the music on this track. This was either due to the mastering feel, or the overdub from the demo. The piano part was added by session keyboardist Jean Roussel, whom Sting invited to play on the track against the wishes of his bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland.Summers, Andy (2007). One Train Later, 1st Edition (St. Martin's Griffin), page 294. Summers did not approve of Roussel's inclusion in the track, claiming that he was "incredibly pushy" and that "there wasn't room for him. He must have played 12 piano parts on that song alone." Copeland, however, said that Roussel "wasn't pushy ... He was just like us actually." Feeling that the arrangement of the track was not enough like The Police style, Summers (who recalled, "as the guitar player I was saying, 'What the fuck is this? This is not the Police sound'") and Copeland attempted to change the track. However, as Copeland remembers: , Revolver.|Stewart Copeland, Revolver, 2000}} In the chorus, Sting, not knowing any other word which would rhyme with "magic," used the word "tragic." Copeland said of this moment, "I remember Sting for years trying to think of a rhyme for 'magic', as in 'Every Little Things She Does Is Magic.' I think the only word he could come up with, apart from 'tragic', was 'pelagic', which means 'ocean going'. There I was in my leather pants and punk hairdo, pondering the distinction between ocean-going and river-going fish." Release and reception "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" was released as the second single from Ghost in the Machine in UK and Ireland, while in most other parts of the world it was the debut single from the album. The song outperformed its predecessor in Britain, where it topped the charts. The song also hit No. 1 in Canada, Ireland and the Netherlands, No. 2 in Australia, and No. 5 in Norway. It reached No. 3 in America, making it and "King of Pain" the band's second-best-performing single there, after its No. 1 hit "Every Breath You Take". The lyrics of the second verse, "Do I have to tell the story / Of a thousand rainy days since we first met? / It's a big enough umbrella / But it's always me that ends up getting wet," were reprised by Sting at the end of the song "O My God" issued on the band's next album. These lyrics were repeated once more in "Seven Days" on Sting's solo album Ten Summoner's Tales. He later re-recorded the song in an orchestral version for his album Symphonicities. The song received a positive retrospective review from Allmusic journalist Chris True, who praised the lyrics and described the song as "pop brilliance". The song's B-side, "Flexible Strategies," was reportedly an improvised jam that was created in response to the record company's demand for a B-side. Stewart Copeland claims, "Word came down from the marketing machine 'Create a b-side – today! We walked over to the gear, strapped on, and played for ten minutes. A disgrace." The Police Message in a Box booklet Page 58. Personnel *Sting – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals *Andy Summers – guitars *Stewart Copeland – drums *Jean Alain Roussel – pianos, synthesizers, arrangement Track listing 7": A&M / AMS 8174 (UK) # "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" – 3:58 # "Flexible Strategies" – 3:44 7": A&M / AMS 9170 (NL) # "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" – 4:05 # "Shambelle" – 5:10 Chart performance Weekly charts Year-end charts Cover versions *Petula Clark covered the song as "Every Little Thing You Do Is Magic" on her album An Hour in Concert in 1983. *The Shadows covered the song on their 1990 album Reflection. *Shawn Colvin recorded the song (with a pronoun change) on her 1994 Grammy-nominated album Cover Girl. *Chaka Demus covered the song on the Police Tribute 1997 album Reggatta Mondatta: Reggae Tribute to the Police. *Jazz fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour covered the song from the 2005 album Rit's House. |title=Rit's House overview|work=Allmusic.com}} *Ra (American band) covered the song on their 2005 album Duality (Ra album). *Dream pop music group Memoryhouse performed a version of the song in March 2012 for ''The A.V. Club A.V. Undercover series. *Jacob Collier covered the song in his 2018 album Djesse (Vol. 1). See also *List of European number-one hits of 1981 *List of number-one singles from the 1980s (UK) *List of number-one mainstream rock hits (United States) References External links * Category:1981 singles Category:The Police songs Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:UK Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Billboard Mainstream Rock number-one singles Category:Songs written by Sting (musician) Category:Song recordings produced by Hugh Padgham Category:1981 songs Category:A&M Records singles